French police search for armed man after woman killed in monks' retirement home

MONTPELLIER: Police are searching for an armed man after finding a dead woman in a retirement home where 60 monks are living in southwestern France, sources close to the matter said on Friday.

According to one source, a caretaker contacted the police after escaping from the home in Montferrier-sur-Lez about 10 kilometers north of Montpellier.

On entering the building, police found the body of an elderly woman who had been stabbed several times, the source said.

"Nothing at this stage would indicate that this would be a terrorist act," another source said.

France is on heightened alert and has been under a state of emergency since a wave attacks last year.